A2 Geography: Contrasting Energy Options

There are different responses to increasing energy demands:

  • ‘Business as usual’ reliance on fossil fuels
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Renewable energy with the emphasis on wind power
  • Energy-efficient savings

Each has costs and benefits, such as future climate change, and local opposition. Weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of contrasting energy options in terms of:

  • Technical feasibility
  • Economic impacts
  • Environmental impacts (including waste products)

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates fossil fuels will continue to dominate energy use into 2030 (84%)- coal use will grow most rapidly – mainly in China / It is a ready made fuel. It is relatively cheap to mine and to convert into energy. The supplies will last longer than oil or gas. There is 250 years left of this resource.
A small amount of radioactive energy produces a lot of energy. It does not give off atmospheric pollutants. / When burnt, it gives off atmospheric pollutants, including greenhouse gases. This contributes to global warming. The other gases produced cause acid rain This destroys forests and acidifies lakes, killing fish and other creatures. Mining can also cause deforestation and affect ecosystems.
They are usually found together on ‘farms’. It is potentially an infinite energy supply. This power already produces approximately 2% of the electricity used in the UK per year and is increasing. It causes no air pollution as there are no emissions. It is cheap to operate so cost of electricity may be reduced. It is a sustainable energy source. / Manufacture and building of turbines can be expensive. There are lots of objections as people think that they ruin the countryside. The farms are often on hills and can cause visual pollution and noise pollution. People do not want them near their house- ‘NIMBY’ People are also worried about threats to birds in some areas. Renewable energy is still developing so it may not meet the increasing demands.
The UK is committed to reducing CO2 emissions. This increases the opportunities for low carbon goods and services. Investing now will reduce the costs of low carbon technologies which will enable these technologies to be passed on to developing countries. A World Bank Strategic Climate Change fund has been set up to this effect, to which the UK has contributed £800million. The low carbon economy sector in the UK is worth around £25billion, it employs around 400,000 people and as an industry is on a par with aerospace and pharmaceuticals. / China now outconsumes America in four out of five basic commodities- grain, meat, steel and coal- oil being the only exception. China is second only to America in energy use. Extrapolate the existing growth figures and within a few decades China could be consuming more oil than the world is able to produce.
Oil will have to increase by 1.4 billion barrels a day to meet demands. Energy demand is predicted to increase by 53% - 55% increase in CO2 / Sir Nicholas Stern predicts Climate Change will cost 5-20% of the world’s GDP. There is a global challenge of climate change – solutions to energy needs should make this better not worse.
A multi-energy solution involves meeting future energy demands from a mixture of renewable, recyclable and non-renewable sources. A rich fuel mix is necessary to ensure energy security and to maintain an affordable supply for both individuals and industry. Nuclear power could be a key component of this future. Wind is also being favoured. / The energy conservation response to meeting the increasing energy demands is based on decreasing the amount of energy that we use.There are a number of reasons that individuals and organisations may want to reduce their consumption:
Reduce costs (maximise profits)
Reduce harmful emissions
Promote energy security on a regional/national scale
After 2015 gas and oil demand will outstrip supply- world will have to increase alternative energy usage and use more efficiently / This is a potentially infinite energy resource. They can be used by individual households and businesses. They can reduce the amount of fossil fuels individuals use. Land is not affected so farming or housing is not affected. It does not affect local ecosystems. It is a sustainable energy source.
It is very expensive to build. It requires a large river. Flooding the river valley will destroy the local habitat for many of the species which live there. People may also have to be moved to build the dam and land is lost. / Manufacture and fitting of panels can be expensive. In many countries this can not be the only electricity source as there is not enough sun all year round.
Many countries are looking increasingly at the concept of community energy. Much energy is lost in transmission if the source of supply is a long way away. Energy produced locally is much more efficient. This will invariably involve microgeneration (generators producing electricity with an output of less than 50 KW) / A large river which falls down a steep slope is suitable for generating this power. The river is dammed at the top and the valley is flooded creating a large reservoir (lake) of water. It creates water supplies as well as energy resources.
When burnt it gives off atmospheric gases including greenhouse gases. If crops are not replanted then it is not sustainable. Plants grown for biomass can use land that is needed for food for the local population e.g. in Brazil. / World’s primary energy needs set to grow by 55% by 2030 and electricity consumption expected to double over next few decades. IEA estimates that $22 trillion of new investment is needed by 2030
Renewable technologies include offshore wind turbines, geothermal energy, tidal energy, biofuels, and carbon storage. / Green taxation are taxies levied to discourage behaviour that will be harmful to the environment.
Carbon credit is a permit that allows an organisation to emit a specified amount of greenhouse gases. This is also called an emission permit. Carbon trading is when a company that does not use up the level of emissions it is entitled to can sell the remainder of its entitlement to another company that pollutes above its entitlement. / It is a cheap and readily available source of energy as it comes from decaying plant or animal waste. If replaced it can be a long term sustainable energy source
Based on current projections, by 2080, 600 million people will suffer from increasing sea level rises and 1.8billion people will suffer from a lack of clean drinking water. This will mean disease, drought and migration and conflict. Some say that today’s climate change image of a polar bear may be replaced by an AK47. / Much current research and development is centered on hybrid vehicles that use both electric power and internal combustion.(e.g.Toyota Prius) Research into alternative forms of power also focus on developing fuel cells and even using the stored energy of compressed air or liquid nitrogen. Automobile propulsion technologies under development include hybrid cars, battery electric vehicles, hydrogen cars, and various alternative fuels. It must be considered though that fuel options which include bio-fuels will increase the size of the global ecological footprint.
In March 2006 the European Commission started drafting an EU energy policy. It is argued that the EU can no longer afford 25 different and uncoordinated energy policies. Coordination of energy policies in the EU has the potential to create a more efficient energy market but it may be difficult to achieve. If the EU is successful in coordinating energy policies, this may well provide a model for other parts of the world to follow. This will be most likely where countries are already linked together in trade blocs such as NAFTA (the USA, Canada and Mexico) / Already increasing global warming is leading to increased numbers of extreme weather events and natural disasters which cost money and lives.
A 2-3 C rise in temp could lead to reduction of global output of 3% by reducing crop yields. A 5 C rise = 10% reduction in global output, with poorest countries losing more than as they lack income to implement coping strategies (such as storing water and energy supplies)